


Walking Down your Street

by RK_Striker_JK_5



Category: The Bangles - Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25964980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RK_Striker_JK_5/pseuds/RK_Striker_JK_5
Summary: The Bangles get the break of a lifetime when they're chosen as finalists in the Battle of the Bands. It's a long trip from Duluth, Minnesota to Hollywood, California, especially with their hometown rivals Huey Lewis and the News their opponents. Will they bang through to be winners, or will the Bangles be interrupted by the News?
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

It was a bright, cool morning in Duluth, Minnesota. On one street, a garage door opened, revealing an impromptu rock band setup. Two large speakers had been set up on opposite sides of the entrance, with a drum kit in the rough center. Wires snaked all around the floor, connecting the speakers to the drums, three microphone stands, and a guitar.

Young Vicki Peterson walked into the garage and up to the guitar stand. She picked her trusty axe up and slung it over her shoulder, strumming the strings. She frowned slightly before looking over her shoulder at the door leading to the house proper. “Hey, Debbi! Come on!”

Debbi Peterson, Vicki’s younger sister, emerged from the door, ducking low to avoid her platinum-blond hair from hitting the top of the door. “Sorry,” she mumbled, before sitting down at the drums and picking up the sticks. She twirled them around in her fingers. “Have Michael or Susanna showed up?”

As if on cue, a somewhat tall redhead in a long, black coat walked up to the garage, guitar case in hand. “Hey, you two,” Michael Steele said. She held up her free arm, flashing them a blue-colored wristwatch. “I’m on time, right?” She looked around. “Least I got here before Susanna.”

Debbi leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Michael. “Is that a… Transformers watch?”

Michael rolled her eyes. “My brother got it for me last week. You know how big a fan he is. I mean we went to see the movie three times opening week last summer.” She set her case down and  _ clicked _ it open, pulling out her bass guitar and plugging it in. “I mean was I  _ really _ gonna say no to the gift? It’s not even my birthday!”

Debbi held her hands up. “Hey, I’m not gonna complain if it means you get here on time. Not that it was a problem before.” She looked out to the street. “And…”

A Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special pulled up and parked itself in front of the garage. The back passenger door opened and a rather small lady emerged, pulling a guitar case that looked almost comically-oversized in comparison to her. Susanna Hoffs  _ slammed _ the door shut before going to the front window and peering in. “Thanks, Mom.” She turned, but stopped and rolled her eyes before looking back to the window. “No, Mom. I don’t have any quarters. Why would I need quarters? We’re not going to the mall or anything. There’s no Tiffany concert going on. Yeah, love you too.”

Vicki stared at Susanna as she walked over. “You are… right on time,’ she said, finally smiling. She motioned to the final microphone stand, then turned and walked to the front of the garage. Vicki turned so she faced her three bandmates. “All right. We’ve got a gig this Saturday at the Roxie.”

“We  _ maybe _ have a gig at the Roxie,” Michael said, leaning forward.

Vicki sighed. “We’ll find out for sure tonight, Michael. In the meantime?” 

Michael knelt down and pulled out several manilla folders. “All right, Vicki.” She handed the folders out to the others. “I wrote some new songs, got a little experimental.”

Susanna opened the folder Michael gave her. She placed it on the music stand in front of her microphone and started leafing through the pages. “‘Following’ seems a bit… sparse to me.” She swallowed as Michael looked at her. “N-not that it’s a bad thing!”

Vicki walked back to her own microphone stand and slung her guitar over her shoulder. She plugged it in and adjusted the knobs. She looked over her own music sheets. “All right, let’s start off with… ‘Something to Believe in’?” She looked back at the other three. “That good?” At their nods, she readied her guitar pick. “Debbi, shall we?”

Debbi tapped her drumsticks together, setting the beat. She raised them high above her drumheads…

A large, brown van pulled up to the house, horn blaring. A large caricature of a newsboy tossing a paper while shouting, “Get your News!” was airbrushed on the side-door. The window opened, and the mulleted head of one Huey Lewis poked out. “Hello, ladies,” he said, grinning.

Vicki’s nostrils flared. She glanced up at Huey, eyes blazing. “Lewis,” she said through clenched teeth. “What a… pleasant surprise.” She motioned to her bandmates. “If you don’t mind, though? We’re a little busy.”

Huey slowly turned his head, taking in everything and everyone there.”I see. Got a gig at the Roxie this weekend?” He motioned to the van as his five band members exited. “We, of course, will be in California, meeting Little Richard and competing in the Battle of the Bands!”

Susanna held a hand up and waved it at him. “Hi, Huey?” She grinned as he turned to her. “Maybe both of us will make it to the finals. Wouldn’t that be cool, two hometown bands representing in Hollywood?”

Huey looked to Susanna. He ambled over, chuckling. “It would,” he admitted. “It’s a good thought, Susanna, but let’s be real.”He motioned to himself, then his bandmates. “We all know who the better and realer band is.”

Vicki rolled her eyes. She looked back to Debbi. “Oh, is the great Hugh Anthony Cregg the Third lecturing us poor women on what a ‘real’ band actually constitutes?” she asked, curtsying to her sister.

Debbi stood up and bowed deeply, her arms sweeping out. “Oh, but of course!” she replied, her voice taking on her best upper-class British accent. “Where  _ would _ we be without the big, strong men to tell us that even after having been together for seven years, we’re still not a  _ real _ band,” she said, her voice hardening with each word.

Huey swallowed. He held his hands up. “All right, all right. I’m sorry. That was…”

“Dumb?” Michael chimed in with. She glanced to her left as one of Huey’s bandmates, Mario Cipollina, walked over. “Mario,” she said, suddenly coughing as smoke from the cigarette dangling from his lips wafted over. “Dammit!” she shouted, nose wrinkling as she waved her hand back and forth. “Put that thing out, or I’m telling Aunt Patty!”

Mario tilted his head down, looking at Michael over the tops of his sunglasses.”Ah,come on, Michael. Don’t bring Mom into this. You know how she gets.”

Michael reached up and plucked the cigarette from Mario’s lips. She dropped it to the driveway and crushed it between her boot. “I get the same way, in case you forgot.” She sighed. “Come on, Mario. I don’t want you getting lung cancer or anything like that.”

Vicki waved her arms in the air. “Hey, hey!” She turned Huey. “Okay, as much as I  _ love _ this little get-together, we’ve got work to do!” She jabbed a finger at his van. “All right?”

Huey held his hands up. “All right, Vicki. I’m sorry.” He turned and started back to the van, but paused and looked to Susanna. “Oh, Susanna? Could you tell your mother I said hi?”

Susanna grinned and waved at Huey as he and his bandmates reentered their van. “I will, Huey. See you later!” She waved after them as they drove off, but both her smile and arm fell as both Vicki and Michael flanked her. “Hey, girls,” she said, chuckling nervously. “P-problem?”

Michael jabbed a finger at her. “No making nice with the enemy!”

Susanna leaned back, eyes wide. “But, but they’re not our enemy!” She looked to Vicki. “Right? I mean c-come on. I’ve known Huey since I was a kid!”

Vicki shook her head. “Until the Battle of the Bands announces the finalists tonight, they  _ are _ our enemy, Susanna.” She looked around. “All right, we’ve wasted enough time!” She walked back to her microphone stand. “No matter what, we’ve got a gig Saturday night. And whether it’s in front of fifty or fifty million, the Bangles bang on!” She looked over her shoulder. “Ready, Debbi?”

Debbi held one drumstick up to her forehead in a salute. “Ready, boss!”

Vicki looked to Susanna, then Michael. “On three. One, two… three!”


	2. Chapter 2

The bedroom was dark, the only light the flickering screen of the television. The Bangles sat in front of it, Michael, Vicki and Susanna on the bed itself, with Debbi at the foot. Four pairs of eyes locked on the screen, the only sound the occasional munching of their popcorn, or the shifting of their bodies on the bed as they waited.

Finally, the image changed to a man about their age, sitting in an office and staring directly at the camera. _“And now, the winners of this year’s contest, voted by_ **_you_ ** _to be the best neighborhood bands in the country.”_

Debbi reached over her shoulder and grabbed a handful of popcorn. “Can’t he just _announce_ it?”

Vicki waved at her. “Wait a second!”

_“... Already know, the winners will go to Los Angeles, where they’ll meet…”_

Michael furrowed her brow. “If we ‘already know’ this, why’s he saying it again?”

Susanna glanced at her. “Hey, he’s just following the script. Don’t blame the messenger.”

_“... meet that legend of rock and roll Little Richard. Both groups will also compete in the Battle of the Bands!”_ The Announcer reached offscreen, pulling back and clutching two slips of paper. He opened the first one. _“The first finalist is, from Duluth Minnesota…”_

Vicki gasped. “Oh, god!”

_“Huey Lewis and the News!”_

All four ladies visibly deflated. Debbi leveraged herself into a standing position. “Well, that’s it!” she said, throwing her hands into the air. “Looks like it’s the Roxie this week. And next week, and the week after—”

_“And the second finalists are…”_ The Announcer opened the slip of paper. _“Well, this is quite the surprise! The second group’s_ **_also_ ** _from Duluth, Minnesota!”_

Debbi froze. Her eyes widened. “No…”

_“The Bangles!”_

Silence once more reigned in the bedroom. Susanna suddenly grabbed Vicki and pulled her in for a hug. The two tumbled back onto the bed, shrieking with joy.

Michael rose to her knees and held her right hand out. “You were saying?”

Debbi shrugged. She turned and slapped Michael’s hand with her own. “I have _never_ been so glad to be—” 

Susanna held up a pillow and launched it at Debbi. “Think fast!” she shouted, grinning.

The pillow bounced off of Debbi’s face, landing on the edge of the bed. Debbi looked down at it before looking back up at Susanna. “Oh, it’s on,” she said, before grabbing the pillow and holding it up over the comparatively-diminutive guitarist.

Susanna held up her hands and shrunk down. “Oh, please. Mercy, mercy! I—ACK!” she screamed as Debbi brought the pillow down on her head. The pillow ripped apart, sending out a veritable blizzard of feathers.

Vicki and Michael exchanged a look, shrugged, and grabbed their own pillows, swinging them at Debbi and Susanna. All four ladies shrieked and gigged as months of tension melted away, replaced by relief and giddiness. Feathers flew all around them, adding to the cathartic chaos.

A loud series of knocks on the door grabbed their attention. _“Vicki? Debbi? Are you four all right in there?”_

Vicki let out a squeak. She held up her hands and waved them at everyone, shushing them. “We’re fine, mom!” she said.

_“Well, okay. There’s a phone call for you. It’s that nice Huey from across town.”_

Vicki’s demeanor shifted almost instantly. She slid off the bed and walked to the door. “Thanks, Mom. Just let him know—”

Debbi _bounded_ over to her older sister’s side. “Please let him know we’ll be right down, all right?” She looked down at Vicki. “We don’t even know why he’s calling. Let’s be cordial, okay?”

Vicki crossed her arms in front of her chest as Susanna and Michael walked over. After about a minute, she rolled her eyes.”Fine, fine.” She turned for the door, but stopped and spun back. “But if he starts gloating I will _not_ hold back!” With that, she left the bedroom.

Michael held a hand up. “Watch out, folks! We got a badass coming through!”

A few minutes later, the four were downstairs in the Petersons’s kitchen, phone in Vicki’s hand. She held it out as the other three hunkered down around it. “Huey, can you hear us?”

Huey’s tinny voice came through the speaker. _“Maybe not loud and clear, Vicki, but we can hear you.”_ He paused for a moment. _“I just wanted to say.. Congratulations on making the finals with us. Susanna was right. It_ **_is_ ** _pretty cool.”_

Everyone looked to Susanna, who merely smiled. “Thanks, Huey!” she half-shouted.

_“Anyway, we were thinking. We’re going to the same place, and there’s safety in numbers. How’s about our two vans drive to Hollywood together?”_

Debbi, Susanna, and Michael all nodded at Vicki, grins plastered on their faces. “Say yes,” Debbi said through gritted teeth.

Vicki looked to her, then to Susanna and Michael. She finally held the receiver back up to her face. “Can you give me a second? All right, thanks.” She covered the microphone. “Girls, I think we can manage just fine without them.”

Debbi stared at her for a few moments. “Vicki, when was the last time we left Minnesota?” She held up a hand. “It was when we you were _five_ and we went visiting relatives in Wisconsin!”

Michael raised a hand. “I’ve never been outside the state _period_.”

Susanna shrugged. “Well, I’ve flown to California a few times. Never _drove_ there, but I’ve been there.”

Debbi blinked. “Thanks, Susanna.”

“No problem!”

Debbi sighed and looked back to Vicki. “Like Huey said, safety in numbers. We’ll drive to Hollywood with him and the News and part ways after until the Battle of the Bands.” She pointed to the phone. “All right?”

Vicki sighed. All right, all right!” She held the phone back up to her head. “Okay, Huey.We’ll all drive there together.” She waved a finger at the phone. “But no funny business! I don’t want you peeking at our set list or anything like that!”

_“Of course, of course.”_ There was a pause before Huey continued. _“Susanna?”_

Vicki, Debbi, and Michael all looked to Susanna, who simply leaned in close to the phone. “Yes, Huey?”

_“Did Vicki waggle a finger at the phone?”_

Vicki’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

Susanna grimaced slightly. “She did, Huey.”

Huey barked a laugh. _“You owe me ten bucks, Chris!”_ And with that, the line went dead.

Vicki hung the phone back up. “All right. It’ll be a long drive to Hollywood, but we’ve got a week to get there.” She held up her right arm. “Let’s synchronize our watches so we can get up on time and—”

Debbi’s brow furrowed. “Wait a second. My room’s right next to yours. And with that bullhorn of an alarm clock I’ll be waking up right along with you.”

Susanna looked down at her arm. “I think I’ll just set my alarm clock, too.” She looked up. “Ooh, Michael? Do you want me to give you a call?”

Michael shrugged. “Sure, I guess.” She looked to Vicki. “So, what time _should_ we be here by?”

Vicki rubbed her chin. “No later than seven AM. We have to do a full check of everything before we head out, and I wanna make sure the van’s got a full tank of gas from the Kwik Trip before heading to California.”

Michael straightened up and saluted. “Sir, yes sir!” she half-shouted, unable to keep the grin from her face.

Vicki rolled her eyes. “You’ll be thanking me later when we _don’t_ have to stop and turn around for anything.”

Susanna held a hand up. “Oh! We also have to drive to Huey’s so we can go down together.” Her brow furrowed. “Or should they come here?”

Debbi waved Vicki off as she started to speak. “Let’s just both meet up at the Kwik Trip, all right? We’ll figure stuff out from there, get everything sorted out. Then we’ll drive to California together.”

Michael pointed at the phone. “You think… we should let _Huey_ know that? I mean last time I checked he’s not exactly a mind-reader.”

Vicki slowly looked to the phone on the wall. She picked the receiver up and held it out to Susanna. “Please?”

Susanna rolled her eyes, but took the receiver. She stepped up to the phone and tapped the buttons. “Hi, Huey? Yeah, it’s Susanna. Oh, good! Listen, think we can meet up at the Kwik trip downtown to coordinate? Okay, thanks. Ten AM should be fine. I’ll let them know. Okay, bye!” She hung up. “They’ll meet us there, and Huey said hi, Vicki.”

Vicki slowly nodded. “Thank you, Susanna. Although we’ll see who gets the last word!” She looked around. “Get plenty of sleep tonight, ladies. Tomorrow, we drive!” With that, she marched out of the kitchen.

Debbi held her hands up as the other two looked to her. “Hey, don’t look at me! She’s supposed to be the older and mature one!”

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Okay, for context, this is an expansion to the Bangles' music video for their song 'Walking Down Your Street', as seen here.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvnV2jFeWNQ
> 
> 2\. It's not the actual real-life people, but who they play in the video.
> 
> 3\. Obviously I own nothing.
> 
> 4\. If you'd like to talk about the Bangles' musical accomplishments, there's a reddit group for that. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheBangles/


End file.
